Method of manufacturing calcium-silicon alloys, &amp;c.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS GOLDSCHMIDT AND OTTO WEIL, OF ESSEN-ON-IHE-RTIHR, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TO TH. GOLDSCHMIDT, OF ESSEN- ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY, A FIRM.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CALCIUM-SILICON ALLOYS, &c.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern." Be it known that we, HANS GoLDsoHinnr and OTTO VEIL,

Prussia, German Emperor, and residents of Essen-'on-the-Ruhr, in the Province of the Rhine, German Empire, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method of Manufacturing Calcium-Silicon Alloys Containing a High Percentage of Calcium, of which the followof calcium. The highest amount of calcium in these calcium-silicides obtained by the electric process, is stated to be somewhat more than 20 per cent. (De Chalmot 1896.)

The inventors have recently succeeded (see U. S. applications Ser. N 0. 428,933 and Ser. No. 417 ,523) in obtaining a calciumsilicon-alloy containing about one third of calcium and two thirds of silicon by heating a mixture of lime and metallic silicon with an addition of suitable fluxes. 'N ow it has been found that this calcium-silicon-alloy may be changed into an alloy containing much more calcium, by melting it down with iron, whereby the iron, under formation of ferro-silicon, combines with such a quantity of silicon that an alloy will be formed containing about two thirds of cal-' cium and one third of silicon. This alloy is of a less specific weight than the ferro-silicon the latter sinking down to the bottom and thus may easily be separated.

The process may be carried out in any kind of mutfies, inutHe-furnaces, or in any kind of furnaces which produce such a temperature that the calcium-silicon will be melted.

Any kind ofiron may be employed, such as pig-iron, cast-iron, wrought-iron or steel.

The calcium-silicon-alloy may be melted down with iron (in form of chips, small pieces) under a protectin layer of chlorid of calcium. Or the ca cium-silicon-alloy may be melted alone as well as the iron, and the two liquid products may then be poured Specification of Letters Patent.

subjects of the King of,

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

Application filed June 29, 1908,, Serial No. 440,803.

into the liquid calcium-silicon-alloy by submerging iron-Wire or rods in the liquid calciuni-silicon-alloy until they are dissolved,

the wire or rods being cold or red-hot.

There may be employed widely different proportions of the calcium-silicon-alloy and of iron, but a good result is obtained by employing 1 kilogram of calcium-silicon-alloy and l .to 2 kilograms of iron.

' If less iron is taken than calcium-siliconalloy, it will no longer be easy to separate the layers, the alloy containing less calcium and in consequence being of a higher specific gravity. If twice as much iron as calciumsilicon-alloy is employed or still more, an

alloy will be formed, containing very inuch calcium, but the alloy will partly remain in the slag. If, for example, 4 kilograms of calcium siliconalloy are melted together with 4 kilograms of iron,an alloy is obtainedfcontaining about 64.5 per cent. of

calcium, 23 per cent. of silicon and 12.5 per cent. of iron, the proportion of thecalcium as compared withthat of the silicon being about 74 to 26. If, on the contrary, 4 kilograms of calcium-silicon alloy are melted together with 7 kilograms of iron, an alloy is obtained containing 53.2 per cent. of calcium,'36.9 per cent. of silicon, and 9.9 per.

cent. of iron. In this alloy the proportion of the calcium as compared with that of the silicon is nearly 60 to 40. During this process of melting, besides the calcium siliconalloy, a ferro-silicon will be formed which contains more or less silicon according to the amount of iron added.

.In the same way as described above for, the calciuinrsilicon-alloys, the alloys of the other alkaline earth metals with silicon may be enriched by melting them together with iron.

It is to be noted that the reaction above described is also to be made use of, it, be-

sides calcium, other active metals, as for instance aluminium, magnesium, are present in the alloy, as well as other inactlve metals which will form an alloy with calcium-silicon, as for instance copper, nickel, manganese etc. v

hat we claim is: l. A process of increasing the amount of alkaline earth metal in alloys of silicon with alkaline earth metals by meltlng same with iron.

together. Or the iron may be introduced 2.'A process of increasing the amount of calcium in alloys of silicon with calcium by melting same with iron.

A process of increasing the amount of alkaline earth metal in alloys of a metal which reacts chemically with alkaline earth metals, consisting in melting said alloy with l. A process of increasing the amount of calcium in alloys of a metal which reacts chemically with calcium consisting in melting said alloy with iron.

5. A process of increasing the amount of calcium in alloys of calcium-silicon with other metals by melting same with iron.

(3. A process of manufacturing alloys of silicon and an alkaline earth metal with a high percentage of the alkaline earth metal consisting in heating silicon together with a dissociable compound of the alkaline earth metal contammg oxygen, removing the slag formed by this reaction and melting the alloy of silicon and the alkaline earth metal thus produced with iron.

7. A process for manufacturing alloys of silicon and calcium with a high percentage of calcium, consisting in heating silicon together with lime, removing the slag formed by this reaction and melting the alloy of silicon and calcium thus produced with iron.

8. As a new product, an alloy free from carbon and containing calcium and silicon, the content of calcium being up to 60 and more per cent.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

HANS GOLDSCHMIDT.

OTTO VVEIL.

lVitnesses PETER LIEBER, \VILHELM FLAsoHE. 

